Global Warming Solutions Act (SB 309/ HB 712)

Update: Unfortunately, the bill was weakened by a “poison pill” amendment on the Senate floor. Debate on the bill continued into the closing hours of the session when it was ultimately killed in the House Economic Matters committee.

On March 24th, the GWSA, SB 309, was voted out of the Senate (31-16)! See how your Senator voted here.

What you can do: Email your legislator today to urge them to make Maryland a leader in the fight against climate change.

Download testimony:  Global Warming Solutions Act 114.14 Kb

Download press release for hearing and Governor's support:  Business Leaders, Scientists, Environmentalists Testify in Favor of Bill to Promote Clean Energy and Cut Global Warming Pollution 25% by 2020 52.39 Kb

 Global Warming Solutions Act 48.11 Kb

Environmental Challenge: Global warming is the greatest environmental challenge of our time. Sea levels are on the rise, weather patterns are increasingly irregular, and storms are becoming more powerful. Leading scientists, such as James Hansen of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, caution that we are nearing a climate “tipping point,” beyond which large-scale, dangerous impacts would become unavoidable. The Global Warming Solutions Act sets us on the course to keep emissions of the pollutants that cause global warming below this threshold and protect future generations from catastrophic changes to the climate.

Maryland has begun to make significant strides toward reducing its emissions of global warming pollution, joining other states across the country in efforts to reduce global warming pollution from power plants and from cars, and to increase our use of clean, renewable energy. But the need for additional action to reduce emissions is immediate. Thankfully, many technologies and policy tools exist that could enable Maryland to cut its emissions of global warming pollution within the next two decades, while moving the state toward a clean, secure energy future. This will have the immediate benefit of saving money through reduced energy use and increasing jobs through developing clean energy industries in the state.

Bill Framework:  This bill does three things.

1. Limits: It establishes limits on greenhouse gas emissions based on what is scientifically necessary. Maryland would need to reduce its emissions by 25 percent below 2006 levels by 2020 and 90 percent by 2050. The first limit is achievable with current technology, while the 2050 limit would require technological breakthroughs.
2. Timelines: It creates timelines for state agencies to design cost-effective programs to meet the emission limits. Regulations for policies that are close to the rulemaking stage already would get finalized by September 2009. Policies that need more work to develop would be done by June 2010. Complicated policies for which we want to use regulations developed by other states would have a June 2011 deadline. 
3. Cap-and-Trade: It creates a cap-and-trade system so that companies can continue to search for the cheapest ways to comply.

If Enacted: Recently enacted legislation, including the Healthy Air Act, the Clean Cars Act and other bills, will achieve more than one-quarter of the reductions required by this bill. The rest would come from a major new statewide energy efficiency program, increased use of renewable energy and clean fuels, smart growth measures, green building codes, and the construction of small, efficient power plants to gradually replace massive, old-fashioned plants. Other reductions would come from carbon sequestration projects, such as planting forest buffers along tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay, innovative agricultural practices, and saltwater marsh restoration. 

Help advocate that the General Assembly pass the Climate Commission's reccomendations in the Global Warming Solutions Act during the 2008 session. 

Background: 

Local Groups Laud Maryland Climate Proposal: 25% by 2020 90% by 2050 

The Alliance for Global Warming Solutions – a coalition of local organizations combating climate change – expressed support for the first report of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change, released December 4. The report outlines early action items to decrease the state’s global warming pollution.

Download the Alliance press release here:   Alliance Press Release on Climate Report 81.22 Kb

The Maryland Commission on Climate Change Report:  

The Alliance for Global Warming Solutions, a coalition which Maryland LCV serves on the steering committee, supports the first report of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change. The group was specifically pleased to see the commission recommend such aggressive targets, including reductions of 25% below 2006 levels by 2020 and 90% by 2050. These strong targets are bolstered by recommendations for a major new energy efficiency program and increases to the state’s renewable energy standard, illustrating the commitment of commission participants to implementing the plan quickly.

While the Alliance applauded the targets as “visionary,” the group also expressed concerns over how the targets will be met. One major weakness in the report is the absence of early recommendations on the issue of transportation, which is particularly relevant as the administration is moving forward with construction of the Intercounty Connector.